Before you move – read this first.

They say that moving is one of the most stressful events, and I will say that moving between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth (or Gqeberha, as it is now known) was extremely stressful. This time I moved ten minutes away in the same city – less of an upheaval, but still hectic.  So where do you start when it comes to moving?

1. Set a date

Once you know where you’re moving, you first need to check when the current occupants are moving out. You also need to check the availability of your moving company. But it helps to have a rough idea beforehand. Once you’ve got your date you can clear your schedule (for at least a day or more, depending on how far you’re moving) and make your plans. Last time when I moved cities I wasn’t working and I had plenty of time to unpack. This time I only took two days off and I needed to get right back to work, which needs at least five days notice if I’m taking time off.

2. Get a moving company

If you search the internet you’re bound to come up with a lot of moving companies.

So how do you choose a furniture removal company? Ask around and get quotes. Sometimes you can send an inventory or pictures and other times they will come to your house and look around. It’s good to get a few quotes because you’ll learn a lot of tips from these people about packing and what’s involved. You’ll also need to factor in where your home is – if it’s far from the road you’ll have to include a shuttle vehicle to get things to and from the place of residence. Look at both where you’re coming from and where you’re going to. My place where I was moving from was far from the road so it did need a shuttle vehicle but not for where I was going to, which was close to the road.

You need to balance both getting a good service as well as price. You don’t want to land up with someone that doesn’t know what they are doing but at the same time you don’t want to pay the earth. That’s why you need a few quotes before you weigh everything up. Between Jhb and PE I used JH Retief and they were excellent, I particularly remember the pre move interview which really impressed me as people who knew what they were doing. This time in PE/ Gqeberha I used Sarah le Roux. They were very considerate about how they placed the furniture and pretty much asked me for every item.

If you’re doing a long distance move I would also consider insurance. Just a heads up that you have to report any damages immediately, otherwise you won’t get your money. Last time I remember an item that was damaged but I didn’t claim in time (not crucial though). This time nothing was damaged from the mover’s side (apart from scratches on the bed but I’m unsure if they were there before) but I did damage stuff in my car (lighting equipment and my computer). I have turfed out that lighting equipment because it was US based and it required an energy inefficient transformer to run. The computer had to go in because a key was stuck but they managed to vacuum it and unstick it. I think it was the pressure of my headphones pressed against it in the bag and I pushed them together too hard. It just shows that you can’t be too complacent about moving stuff in your car, you have to take care every step of the way.

If the time that you have to be out and the time that your new place is available don’t coincide, you have to factor that in too. You may have to find storage for your stuff and a place to live for that duration. I remember Brett and I staying with my cousins before our house transfer went through and we had to be out of our current place.

3. Stagger the move if possible

Start packing boxes as soon as you can with things that you don’t use e.g. china, kitchen appliances, books. It will help you not to have such a rush at the end.

When moving long distance you really have to do it all in one move so you have to have everything packed and ready on that day.

However, if you’re moving locally, you can do it in stages and move smaller items before the big furniture move. That way you’re not putting so much pressure on one day and you can pop things in your car and move them beforehand. I did seven trips over the weekend before my big furniture move. It was exhausting but it meant less in boxes and more packing straight into cupboards that were there.

4. Get the admin done

If you’re the one selling your home there’s a lot to be done. You have to do electrical certificates. If you have an electric fence you need one for that as well. In some places like Gqeberha you have to do a borer beetle one. Check with your estate agent what else needs to be done as local municipalities differ depending on where you are.

Your rates and electricity bills need to be transferred. I remember when I moved from Johannesburg to PE and I was still getting those bills I got a company to do it for me (House Hoppers). But hopefully this time it will be a simple process of going into the municipal offices with the registration proof which is what I did. I hope it will all transfer smoothly.

There seems to be a lot of stuff that needs transferring – think about security, gardener and anything else to do with your house. I got Atlas in and they helped me to change my code and show me how things worked. I also had to sign paperwork with them.

Once you’ve moved you also have to change your address all  over the place. Also notify any incoming parcels or make sure that they get kept for you.

5. Sort out your internet connection

This one is huge for me, as someone who works from home and depends on my internet connection. Last time when I moved it was a huge headache, largely because I moved during December and everyone was away and unable to assist me until January. (This was because time had lapsed since the last person had moved out so the openserve connection needed to be sorted in person. I also had to get a specific router) I learnt from that experience and now I’m moving in the middle of the year when everyone is around so if anything goes wrong I can sort it out fairly quicky.

I’ve chosen my ISP and the infrastructure is there already. The big hassle this time around was not knowing terms and conditions of ISPs. The current occupant does need to cancel their connection first before you can do yours. Their ISP required a full month’s notice. This means I’m stuck with Webafrica till the end of the month. Then my connection will cut. Then they activate the line under Cool ideas who will courier me a modem. Only then will I really be up and running. So far the internet connection is good though. For Novakid the download speed seems to be an issue at this place, no matter what speedtest.net says. All it really means though is that my material is taking longer to load in the beginning, which is not a train smash if I enter a minute earlier. Just have to be prepared for that!

I think the most important thing here is backups! I had a back up computer and I was able to use my old place until I got them to increase the speed for me. I also have a LTE router which will be my next backup.

6. Final packing tips

You can go around to your local grocery shop and ask for boxes. A lot of the time they can help you. I got from Checkers and also Spar was very helpful. Westpack in Johannesburg also sell a lot of nice boxes. (Not in PE, by the way! Only tiny ones)

Make sure that you keep your valuables with you. I packed the PlayStation and X Box in the car with me, as well as the camera and other valuables.

Take everything out the fridge and put it in a cooler bag. Hopefully you have been scaling down the food for the move. You can grocery shop after you’ve moved. Unplug the fridge at least the night before the move and get rid of perishables.

You’ll also need to unplug and get your washing machine ready for the move. Make sure that it is properly plugged in on the other side when you get there. I remember water all over the place the first time I did washing! This time that was fine but the movers forgot to plug in the fridge so I had to wait a bit to get help with that.

Make sure any bottles are tightly sealed and rather take gas bottles separately.

Make sure that you know whether you’re getting a stove on the other end because that will also vary between houses and places.

7. Final check

You’re leaving an empty house behind – but make sure that you have everything. Don’t forget your curtains. Turn off your geyser and lock everything up. Get your maid to do a final clean. You might also have to get professionals in to clean your carpets as well. Any leftover stuff has to be removed.

I’d like to know your valuable tips that you found useful when you moved! Please let me know in the comments!

Happy moving!